A Hatake Duo Special: Happy Father's Day
by ForteGirl
Summary: It's Father's Day again and Kaede's set off to surprise her dad. See how our favorite Hatake duo celebrate Father's Day. There'll be cake! One-shot. Please R&R.


**Disclaimer and Introduction:**

Hello, and welcome to the Hatake Father's Day Special. I know it may be a few days off, but this actually was ready on the actual Father's Day. I just wasn't home long enough to get it up. So, yeah. This basically started off as a way to waste time, but it turned into a mini-side story for our favorite Hatake duo. It was just an idea that I had in my head and I just decided to go with it. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy.

Oh, right. Before I forget. Kakashi and anyone from Naruto belong to dear Kishimoto-san. I do not own any of them. However, Kaede-chan is mine, so no stealing. If you do, I will find out and when I find out, you will pay. Ghaha!

Now that all that's aside, I hope you read and enjoy.

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**Happy Father's Day - A Hatake Duo Special**

"Happy Father's Day!" Kaede leapt into the room with a tray in her hands, an apron tied around her waist. "I made this for you, dad!" The little girl beamed happily as she waited for her father to respond. She figured he would already be up because he had probably smelled the eggs and bacon. They both knew very well Kaede wasn't all that good at cooking, so it might have alerted him. Then again, the little girl had been taking basic cooking lessons from Sakura, so this time she had it covered.

Not getting any answer, Kaede peered around the vase that sat on the corner of the tray, which held some neatly arranged flowers. "Dad?" She looked over at his bed.

He wasn't there.

Kaede frowned, her shoulders slightly falling. He was gone? On today of all days? Maybe he had only gone to check in at Hokage tower… She knew he hadn't turned in a mission report from the other day… And if he had another mission, he would've told her, right?

Dismissing it as that, she set the tray on the bed. Though she knew he had his duties to attend to, she was still rather defeated. She had worked rather hard on his Father's Day Breakfast… She had made it special and he wasn't even home for it. She sighed. Well, she still had another surprise for him and she'd get him with that.

She trudged downstairs and tossed the apron on the couch. At least with him away, she would have a somewhat easier time getting the next surprise home.

Popping her head outside and taking a quick, instinctive glance to the skies and rooftops, Kaede headed off down the street and around the corner. Her attention was set on the small bakery that occupied the opposite corner. She took another cautious glance before going inside and gave the area another glimpse around as she left with a small, white box.

Kaede peeked inside it and smiled at the little cake. It was one of her father's favorite flavors, even though he wasn't all that picky when it came to what flavor his sweets were. Neither was Kaede, but this flavor, chocolate, was probably her top favorite. Sure, she was going based on her preferences, but he wouldn't mind. Closing the lid, the little girl scanned the surrounding area once more before heading off.

On the way though, she spotted a small card shop. She had already spent time making Kakashi a card, but the balloons in the window caught her eye. She gave them a smile as she tucked the box under her arm and went inside, buying one of the larger sized balloons. The little Hatake felt kind of funny walking back outside with a rather large balloon compared to her size and a small, white box, but wore a proud smile on her face nevertheless.

She had thought about doing something like this for a while now, but for the last few Father's Days, Kakashi hadn't been home. She hadn't heard him say anything about leaving, so today should be safe. She at least hoped so and chose to keep a positive thought on the matter.

Returning back to the house, she set the box down on the coffee table and the balloon next to it and rushed upstairs to grab the card. If her father was just filing a mission report, it shouldn't take that long. Even if he did end up getting an earful from Iruka-sensei for being late on turning it, he still should be home soon. He always had his ways of prying himself away from the other teacher's lectures.

It normally came in handy though, especially being as her father was constantly late when it came to things like that. Of course, then again, so was she.

Kaede went back downstairs once she retrieved her card and sat down on the couch. Now all she had to do was to wait for him to get back home.

* * *

The clock struck midnight and Kakashi still wasn't home. Kaede had already figured what happened: He had gotten another mission and had neglected to come back to tell her. The little girl frowned as she felt her hands shake. Every single time… Something has to go and happen. She let out an angry huff as she threw the card onto the coffee table and then trudged to the front door.

She needed to take a walk…

* * *

It was actually almost two days before Kakashi returned home. He had popped by Hokage tower to file his late mission report and he had gotten a good earful from Iruka about being late about it. However, his timing was off and Tsunade hadn't hesitated to throw him a small messenger mission. He probably would've been home a lot sooner though, had it not been for those guards… They didn't know the difference between an "ally" and an "alley".

It just showed how unreliable some people were.

The masked Hatake poked through Kaede's bedroom window, figuring he'd surprise her, especially after disappearing for a few days like that. "Kaede? Hey, I'm back. I'm sorry for being so late…" The Jounin received no answer which was probably because Kaede wasn't there.

He climbed the rest of the way through the window and headed downstairs. He didn't see a need to check his room. It was already close to noon, so the little girl was probably up by now. She was probably hungry, so was probably rolling around downstairs, complaining on being food-deprived.

He wandered into the living room to find it deserted and silent. The only actual sounds were that of the ceiling fan and the crinkle of helium balloon as it was stirred by the fan's soft breeze. The balloon itself was in rather poor shape and it hung limply in the air with almost all the gas inside gone. Kakashi read what the balloon said:

"Happy Father's Day."

His eyes widened. He had forgotten all about that.

Kakashi blinked hard as he looked down. A small chocolate cake with white frosting and green trim sat on the table and a small card lay next to it. It was a small, square card, colored in soft greens and blues, the border sprinkled with a soft dusting of glitter. He skimmed over the front, before flipping it open:

Happy Father's Day

I know you're always busy

But I will always know you care

'Cause when I need you the most

You are always there

Love,

Kaede

Folding it closed, Kakashi set the card back on the table and stared at it for a moment. A heavy frown had found its way onto his face. How could he forget? Kaede had been acting rather suspicious the last few days… It was probably to keep this all a secret. He glanced back at the card.

"Cause when I need you the most, you are always there."

Well, that was a lie… He was never there when she needed him, now was he? Thinking back on it, he hadn't been there the day she started going to the Academy, he hadn't been there when she graduated from the Academy….And he hadn't even been home for Father's Day. He gave a long sigh. He had probably missed a few of her birthdays, too….

Out of a pure anger and disappointment towards himself, Kakashi flopped down on the couch and slammed his fist down on the coffee table. He was a lousy father. He was never there for his little girl… The only time he was there for her was when she was being threatened or hurt. He was never there for the important things in her life.

Kakashi had promised himself when he took responsibility of Kaede that he wouldn't leave her or let her down like his father did. Not being there for the things she valued or saw as important though….. Kakashi saw that as no better as what his father did to him. They had both left their children hanging and didn't think of how it would affect them. The masked Jounin let out another long, dragging sigh as he ran this hand through his hair.

Kaede was probably upstairs, hiding in one of the rooms, probably in a closet, mad at him for not being home. He hadn't even told her he was leaving; then again, it did come up on short notice, but still! He should've come back to tell her… She had probably gotten all this ready, only to be disappointed when he didn't come back home, especially after almost two days.

A third sigh escaped Kakashi as he stood up, tired of scolding himself. He knew wallowing in his guilt wasn't going to fix anything. He didn't even think an apology was suitable for what he had to make up for. He pushed it aside as he trudged back upstairs and poked his head into Kaede's bedroom. He already knew it was empty, but checked her closet real quick before moving to his room. It was empty too, but the tray that sat on his bed caught his attention. It had been there for a few days and the food on it was cold and had started to make the room smell.

Guess Kaede had made him breakfast the other morning, too…

Kakashi peered at the plate: Bacon and eggs. And even considering how long they've sat out, they were actually rather well cooked, too… Guess she had slaved over the stove to do that for him. He frowned. She had done that all for him and he hadn't even been home…

He bit his lip regretfully as he peered inside his closet. It was empty of his little girl, too.

Kakashi stood back as he gave another sigh. Where could she be?

He double-checked the house before he left out on to the streets. He made sure to check all the usual places, which basically consisted of the Academy, the park, and an assorted number of local food spots, before he turned towards the training grounds. More and more times he had found her passed out somewhere in that area because she devoted more of her alone time to training. She was starting to bust out of that habit of locking herself safely in the house while he was gone, though she still did occasionally do that.

Once he arrived, he quickly found the little girl. She sat against one of the stumps, breath heavily, but lightly and still rather awake even though it looked as if she hadn't slept the last few nights. Kakashi frowned as he approached her. Kaede looked up with him; clearly she was still angry. Kakashi bit his lip again.

* * *

That had been at least two years ago when Kaede tried to surprise him like that. She hadn't tried anything the last few times, because she didn't really feel as if it would be any different than the last time and both years, she herself hadn't been home. Kaede still left cards for him, but sometimes she didn't think he even saw them.

She sighed as she pushed herself back and forth softly on the swing in front of the Academy. Another Father's Day gone and past and she still hadn't been able to surprise him. Not even in the slightest. This particular Father's Day, Kakashi wasn't home again. He had left on another mission a bit ago that "would only take a few days", he swore. Yeah, how many times had she heard that line now? More than she cared to count.

Kaede didn't like being mad at her father like that, but still… All these missions and the broken promises that came with them… She knew it was part of being a shinobi, but she still didn't like it. Sometimes she wondered how their lives would be if they were just a normal, average family.

She swung back a bit more as she thought. Some things just frustrated her. A few times, from one person or another, she had heard her father wanted her to have a 'normal' childhood. Well, what's a childhood without spending at least one Father's Day with your father? Regular kids and their dads would have a picnic or go to the park or something like that. You know, bonding. But Kaede's… Well, he was normally off on missions or she was or something of the sort. The little girl really didn't see that as fair.

And life's not fair? Well, she didn't care…..

As she swung back, she felt something push her back forward. Her eyes widened a bit and as she went back again, something stopped her. A white box appeared was raised beside her and she looked back.

Kakashi stood behind her, his eye closed in a soft smile. The little girl seemed to stammer, but he didn't let her say anything. Instead, he motioned to the box in his hand. "Open it." Kaede looked at the box and then back at him. He motioned at it again with a nod and she took the white box from him and placed it in her lap. She opened it and looked at the small white cake inside. She read the colored icing letters.

"Happy Daughter's Day?"

Kaede looked up at her father. "What is this?"

Kakashi's smile faded. "I know I've missed a lot for you, and I wanted to make it up. So, I thought, what a better day to thank you than on the day you thank me. You don't really have anything to thank me for, so this day should go to you rather than me."

"Huh? But -" Kakashi softly shushed the young girl as he ruffled her hair and pulled her into a soft hug, being careful not to crush the cake. "Dad… I…" He pulled her away from him, though still held her in the bend of his arm. He smiled gently at her and she smiled back.

"Thanks dad."

It wasn't the traditional way of doing things, but then again, when did they ever actually follow tradition?

**- End**

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So, yup, this concludes the Hatake Father's Day Special. I hope you enjoyed it and ask you please leave any thoughts or comments in a review. I also hope you keep an eye out for another fanfic from my Nightmare writing partner, Kitsune, and I. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope to be back with more adventures of our favorite Hatake duo soon.

Until next time, friends!


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